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Author
Topic: "case managers" (Read 5957 times)

ok you all know me, i tell it like it is, and i mean no offense here, but whats the deal with "case workers" or "case managers" thats got to be the biggest scam job in social services! all these people do - and lord knows 99% dont even do it well - they take something from column a and match it with column b.. a client comes in and says i am homeless, need food and medication, and i'm addicted to drugs.. the case worker saus om here's this here's that, here's this..., no offense but a chimpanzee could do it.. and they get paid for this..

You must have had a bad experience with one. However, that does not make them all incompetent. There are several I personally know who mean the difference between having a home and being homeless to several of their clients. I understand the need to vent, but one should also keep in mind the big picture.

Logged

I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

Seems like a sweeping generalisation.Why don't you do a internship in such an organisation and discover what "they" do. Or even have a polite conversation with one of them and ask about their responsibilties.

Logged

ďFrom each, according to his ability; to each, according to his needĒ 1875 K Marx

"a client comes in and says i am homeless, need food and medication, and i'm addicted to drugs.. " quote

You know, it seems to me that the most important part of recovery is acknowledging that you are an addict and need help. BUT.... Just showing up at a caseworkers office is not going to result in a solution to the problem. One must be willing to seek out help and then act on it themselves.Betty has made reference to "Being in charge of your own medical treatment and seeking solutions WITH a doctor" . This is in stark contrast to someone who just complains that they are not being given proper treatment...either medically or from caseworkers. Now, I had a rude awakening about three years ago when I tried to quit smoking. I found I could not. I was addicted to nicotine. My doctor helped me kick the habit but it was not my doctor who solved the problem of smoking, it was me. It took a lot of will power to do it. I REALLY respect anyone who has kicked a habit.While I understand the frustration someone feels when confronting "bureaucracy", I dont know if the OP (original poster) had in mind that caseworkers are supposed to possess magical powers. They do not. If you are addicted to drugs, need medication and food:1. I would think addressing the drug addiction should be done with your doctor. I believe caseworkers do not have the power to do much about this. They are not doctors.2. Medications are paid for thru insurance, ADAP, and other sources. It may take more than a caseworker to solve that problem. I would start with your doctor's office, then go to a caseworker or to a free clinic, if you qualify the meds are free. Some doctors have counselors associated with the office...or can refer you to one. That can help too.3. The food issue is often solved by either food stamps or by going to a food bank or if the person is disabled ...getting meals delivered by one of the organizations like "Meals on Wheels".....here its called MANNA.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Blond37, I normally don't post much on the forums, but this one I could not pass up. Your post really unnerved me. I agree with the others and have personal experience with this myself. As Ann said, you really do not have any idea of what a social worker really goes through. I am going back to college to finish studies in social work, following the path of my mother. My mom has done this kind of work for over two decades. Her last job working for an overloaded non-profit was a living hell for her. The agency had adequate funds to help their clients (state funded agency), but not enough funds to hire enough social workers (state budget bureaucracy). She, along with her colleagues, handled THREE to FOUR times the number of clients they would normally handle and the state made it clear they would pay NO overtime. After over 8 years at this agency, she finally quit after starting to have health problems related to the stress.

You have NO IDEA how much social workers do behind the scenes. These men and women do what they do mostly out of the joy of helping others (Lord knows social workers are underpaid, especially with government funded / non-profit agencies). Sorry if you had a bad experience, but you CANNOT generalize. As for the chimpanzee comment... shame on you. Some of these folks have master's degrees.... devoting six years of their lives to learn how to help YOU! If you have a bad experience, then take it up with that social worker and agency.

That's my take on it all. I had to say what I had to say as your comment was very personal to me as its my field of study and my mother's career choice over the years.

Blond37, I normally don't post much on the forums, but this one I could not pass up. Your post really unnerved me. I agree with the others and have personal experience with this myself. As Ann said, you really do not have any idea of what a social worker really goes through. I am going back to college to finish studies in social work, following the path of my mother. My mom has done this kind of work for over two decades. Her last job working for an overloaded non-profit was a living hell for her. The agency had adequate funds to help their clients (state funded agency), but not enough funds to hire enough social workers (state budget bureaucracy). She, along with her colleagues, handled THREE to FOUR times the number of clients they would normally handle and the state made it clear they would pay NO overtime. After over 8 years at this agency, she finally quit after starting to have health problems related to the stress.

You have NO IDEA how much social workers do behind the scenes. These men and women do what they do mostly out of the joy of helping others (Lord knows social workers are underpaid, especially with government funded / non-profit agencies). Sorry if you had a bad experience, but you CANNOT generalize. As for the chimpanzee comment... shame on you. Some of these folks have master's degrees.... devoting six years of their lives to learn how to help YOU! If you have a bad experience, then take it up with that social worker and agency.

That's my take on it all. I had to say what I had to say as your comment was very personal to me as its my field of study and my mother's career choice over the years.

Seems like a sweeping generalisation.Why don't you do a internship in such an organisation and discover what "they" do. Or even have a polite conversation with one of them and ask about their responsibilties.

"a client comes in and says i am homeless, need food and medication, and i'm addicted to drugs.. " quote

You know, it seems to me that the most important part of recovery is acknowledging that you are an addict and need help. BUT.... Just showing up at a caseworkers office is not going to result in a solution to the problem. One must be willing to seek out help and then act on it themselves.Betty has made reference to "Being in charge of your own medical treatment and seeking solutions WITH a doctor" . This is in stark contrast to someone who just complains that they are not being given proper treatment...either medically or from caseworkers. Now, I had a rude awakening about three years ago when I tried to quit smoking. I found I could not. I was addicted to nicotine. My doctor helped me kick the habit but it was not my doctor who solved the problem of smoking, it was me. It took a lot of will power to do it. I REALLY respect anyone who has kicked a habit.While I understand the frustration someone feels when confronting "bureaucracy", I dont know if the OP (original poster) had in mind that caseworkers are supposed to possess magical powers. They do not. If you are addicted to drugs, need medication and food:1. I would think addressing the drug addiction should be done with your doctor. I believe caseworkers do not have the power to do much about this. They are not doctors.2. Medications are paid for thru insurance, ADAP, and other sources. It may take more than a caseworker to solve that problem. I would start with your doctor's office, then go to a caseworker or to a free clinic, if you qualify the meds are free. Some doctors have counselors associated with the office...or can refer you to one. That can help too.3. The food issue is often solved by either food stamps or by going to a food bank or if the person is disabled ...getting meals delivered by one of the organizations like "Meals on Wheels".....here its called MANNA.

I can tell from this thread, and your replies (which also follow a similar pattern in all of your past threads here) why you have such difficulties with case managers (as well as, by your own admission in other threads, your doctors and therapists) -- YOU ARE DIFFICULT, as well as angry. You need to recognize that you might potentially be part of the problem.

Didn't you state a month ago that you have a substance abuse issue? I hope you find the help you obviously need. Best of luck.

Blond, you are a social worker? With a B.S.? M.S.? Can't understand how you can dump so hard on "case workers". Its a job. People are hired for their skills. The market sets the salary. I guess as a social worker you make make more and can do more? I don't exactly get your beef? There should be no case workers? Case workers don't do a good job? Case workers are unnecessary? Care workers are overpaid? Its an assault on case workers personally, or on the system that created that position?

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ďFrom each, according to his ability; to each, according to his needĒ 1875 K Marx

Blond, I went back and read a bunch of your previous posts. From them, I don't get the feeling that you want to help yourself, that you feel like somebody else should do everything for you. If you don't get your way, you pack your toys and go home. You post 'Sigh...' after somebody has made good, realistic suggestions to you. You often tell people that they miss your point or don't understand what you mean. You've posted on several occasions that 'you're out of here' and 'bye' (the child packing his toys and going home).

I don't know what problems you've had throughout your life (those not dealing with HIV). I don't know what kind of childhood and early adulthood you've had leading up to your current problems. I do know that, if you continue like you are now, you will likely lead a lonely, sickly life. I base that on your posts about dismissing people, not taking meds, and generally not wanting to or being able to do much to help yourself.

I do pity you and hope that you are able to get whatever help you need.

ok you all know me, i tell it like it is, and i mean no offense here, but whats the deal with "case workers" or "case managers" thats got to be the biggest scam job in social services! all these people do - and lord knows 99% dont even do it well - they take something from column a and match it with column b.. a client comes in and says i am homeless, need food and medication, and i'm addicted to drugs.. the case worker saus om here's this here's that, here's this..., no offense but a chimpanzee could do it.. and they get paid for this..

There came a time relatively early in my diagnosis when I relaized the power and benefit of taking control of my situation. That said...

How about you cowboy-the-f**k-up and do for yourself what you yourself said a chimp could do? Why use a case worker then? Do it yourself, save the case worker services for those who need tem. Then pat yourself on the back for being an "empowered pozzie".

Case management has become more a function of surveillance and scapegoating positive people than it was in years past. The good folks who once helped us stay on track and keep it together are compelled by the Ryan White Care Act requirements to delve into our sex lives and convince us that we are the problem with respect to new infections. It is difficult to approach the agencies that provide case management without "outing" yourself to the gay community. They have become, for the most part, social clubs for negative gay men who apparently need to be led by the hand to be convinced to remain negative. Prevention is not my problem and I have bigger hurdles to face without being demeaned by some twenty something who doesn't have a clue. Care and prevention should be separated...unless a positive person asks for help in this regard.

There are 9 pages of client level data required as of December of this year for Ryan White program recipients....just a waste of money, plain and simple. Case management has become the insult to our injury. IMHO. Many of the tireless allies we met with in the past have been rendered ineffective by mounds of paperwork and the emotional toll the work takes on them. Save your breath....fend for yourself.

Well, if that wasn't the biggest heap of stinking shit I've read on this board in while -- do you have any... you know, "proof" for these lovely assertions Pozinmaine? And I mean more than you're own particular situation, from which one can't ever accurately derive accusations with the large net you just threw into the thread.

My case manager is a lovely, svelte lesbian so that kind of blows part of your "theory" right there.

I havenít found much use for my case managers at Lifelong AIDS Alliance here in Seattle. My current manager just tells me to call 211 whenever I ask him a question. In Seattle 211 is a city wide information and referral line that is so overburdened you can spend hours on hold. It has the option of entering your number for a call back but at the end of the day the system is cleared of any numbers waiting for call backs.

I have never had a case manager in Seattle do ANYTHING for me, not point me in the right direction if I need something, nothing, just tell me to call 211. When I call LLAA here in Seattle itís next to impossible to get past the volunteers who answer the phone. They demand to know all the intimate details of my life, my health, what doctor I see, then just transfer me to a phone thatís never answered where I leave a voice mail thatís never returned.

Now, if you want free tickets to an entertainment event, LLAA is happy to give me those, or if you want to be a complete system queen and have 100% of your needs taken care of by them and the government they will be more than happy to help. If however you are trying to make it on your own and just need the occasional helping hand or referral, they are of no use whatsoever.

I have to tell you, she has been great. She has educated me in short order. She warned me about the health department and advised me if they ever call me to have them contact her. She also visited me at my home and discussed nutrition with me. I am in very good shape, so that discussion did not last long.

Recently she referred me to a dentist who is very knowledgeable about HIV.

First of all is this thread about case workers or case managers? My mother was a case worker for over 25 years at a neighborhood center. I saw personally the toll it took on her emotionally, she wasn't there just for the check. She did her job because she wanted to help people. But I have also seen case workers who act like they hate their job or act like whatever benefits a person receives is coming out of their pockets. Despite their attitude you have to deal with it or overlook it if you want the help, bottom line. And chances are you're not going to see the person but maybe once a year. That's how it goes with most case workers here unless you're doing the food bank thing then that's different.

Now at my ASO, I have a case manager. She's my second one due to the fact that my first one died. I loved him, he was good at what he did and he treated his clients like people not a statistic.He was also gay. The one I have now is hardly helpful to me at all and only comes into work twice a week. And I have often bitched about that but I don't know what her life consists of either that she can only come in twice a week. Yeah, it causes me to do some extra work. I often put her on to different organizations. But I figure it will help her with the next client.

Now as far as the OP, if you hate your job as a social worker, why not just do something else? Better yet, what made you decide to be a social worker in the first place? And if the job is so easy a chimp could do it, well, would that make you a chimp as well? And if you do have a drug or alcohol problem, I would think that you would need to help yourself before you could possibly help others. But could also be the reason why the OP has a shitty disposition. Not being judgmental but just saying.

In the end whether the case worker/case manager is a saint or a dickhead, if the services were not available a lot of us would be between a rock and hard place. And some would not survive at all...

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

ďI'd just like to know what you people would say if you lived in a place like I do where either a social worker or a case worker were mythological entities.Ē

I live in Seattle, WA and since my case manager and the one before this one simply tell me to call 211 the city wide information and referral line for all needs from bitching about your electric bill to barking dogs, that in a way I live in a place with no case managers. I am of the opinion (shared by a friend who works for another ASO) that the ASOs of today exist primarily for the benefit of those who work there.In the three years I have been a client of Lifelong AIDS Alliance in Seattle, not one single time have they answered a question or helped me. In fact itís next to impossible to get past the VOLUNTEERS who answer the phone and work at the front desk.

They have all types of fund raisers and there seems to be no end to the retreats and team building adventures they get to go on, but what about us the ones who have disease they proclaim to exist to help deal with?

No question that back in the day they did something, but in my 7 years with HIV I havenít seen them do much but complain about lack of funding, and go out of their way to not answer the phone, and not return calls.

Now the system queens, thatís another story all together. If you donít want to work, want to get high every weekend, and have someone else pay all your bills, then Lifelong is there for you. If you just need a bit of help every once in a blue moon then you are SOL. Personally I know people who got HIV at 17 or 18 years old who havenít worked a day in their life. That *isses me off when I see that chunk of my paycheck that gets deducted so they can stay home and play.

Wow, really? As in totally non-existant? Well, you did say you lived on a rock, right? *LOL*

We do have case/social workers here, but they aren't available to most people. A few years ago I was having some trouble navigating the system and I asked if I could have a case worker to help me. I was told that unless my daughter was deemed to be "at risk" (at risk of what, I wasn't told) I could not have one and I'd have to figure things out for myself.

And yes, I do live on a rock. We have a saying here - the Isle of Man is 70,000 alcoholics clinging to a rock in the middle of the Irish Sea.

I'd probably say that unless it's a prison then one has the power to pack a bag and move elsewhere.

Yeah, well, I know what you're saying, but it takes money to move - money I don't have. In all honesty, I'm doing ok without a case/social worker - I've learned to advocate for myself. I've got a big mouth and I'm not afraid to use it! However, I am concerned about others who don't have the resources I have, people who are falling through the cracks due to a lack of assistance. When I come across these people I do what I can to help them, but it would be nice if we had more help. You can't get help here unless you're strung out on drugs and/or alcohol.

I've tried to get some sort of ASO going here on the Rock, but I've come up against a brick wall at every turn. I'm always told that there isn't the need, but there is. The ASO in Liverpool I belong to sometimes refers Rock residents to me and I'm glad to help, so I guess in a way I'm a one-person ASO, totally unfunded and volunteer driven. While the ASO in Liverpool has been very helpful to me in dealing with personal issues and issues that have come up at my clinic in Liverpool, they can't help with issues concerning Manx finance or law because the Rock is actually a separate country and we have different laws etc.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Well, if that wasn't the biggest heap of stinking shit I've read on this board in while -- do you have any... you know, "proof" for these lovely assertions Pozinmaine? And I mean more than you're own particular situation, from which one can't ever accurately derive accusations with the large net you just threw into the thread.

My case manager is a lovely, svelte lesbian so that kind of blows part of your "theory" right there.

Miss Philicia... What assertions? All fact....Read the HRSA requirements for Ryan White Agencies( Google Ryan White Client Level Data 2009)...you'll see. I've read enough of your posts to know you are an expert at everything from anal warts to case management. You, if anyone, would certainly know a stinking pile of shit when you see one. Who cares that your case manager is a lesbian??? I wouldn't think to ask as it has no bearing on her abilities as a professional. I'm queer but don't personally know any lesbians....I'm sure you can enlighten me as to the relevance.

You, if anyone, would certainly know a stinking pile of shit when you see one. Who cares that your case manager is a lesbian??? I wouldn't think to ask as it has no bearing on her abilities as a professional. I'm queer but don't personally know any lesbians....I'm sure you can enlighten me as to the relevance.

Because of asinine comments like you made previously:

Quote

It is difficult to approach the agencies that provide case management without "outing" yourself to the gay community. They have become, for the most part, social clubs for negative gay men who apparently need to be led by the hand to be convinced to remain negative.

So are you stating that someone on case management staff that you encountered was an HIV-negative person that pro-actively outed you to the "gay community" in Maine? Yeah, I guess that would suck if you're in the closet and someone was so nasty as to not respect your privacy, but I somehow doubt that happened. If it did I'm sure you have some sort of paper trail of taking your grievances to the next level, so maybe you can kindly expound on this topic, k?

Should I also go into all of the heterosexual staff and social workers I've run into in both NYC and Philadelphia. But hey, you came on this board with the same agenda your pimping in this thread in another thread, so I guess it makes sense to you:

While some of these tales of woe sound plausible, my own case manager has been helpful.

I use the local AIDS Task Force for access to the ADAP programs that pay my meds copays and insurance premiums. While I could deal directly with the state office that administers ADAP, it seems much easier to do it through a sympathetic intermediary. When there was a funding problem a few months ago, and it looked like I would have to pay for my meds myself, my case manager came up with a thirty day supply for me while the funding was worked out. She also said that they might be able to help with my house payment if I had to pay for my meds, and in addition has said that there may be money for certain HIV-related treatments and exams.

So I find it useful to have an advocate who knows all the angles and where the money is, and how to get it. She has been with AIDS Task Force for nine years. I know money there is tight and they are overworked; my case manager has 150 clients. Of course it's hard to get her on the phone, but when I e-mail her and follow up with a phone message telling her she has an e-mail, she always replies in a day or two.

I think she appreciates that I appreciate the assistance given me, and that I use it to further my health so I can keep working and otherwise paying my own way. That may not always be the case, so it's good to know she can help if the crunch comes. I hope that's the experience for most.

The above link will provide the 9 page client level data that Ryan White case managers will be required to fill out for each client receiving services.

The case management office in my area also houses one of 6 or 7 prevention groups statewide built on the premise of community building as a means of prevention. (Apparently we are all positive due to lack of self-esteem and community...) Simply seeing my case manager once exposed me to members of this group who then asked the case manager if I was a client which was then confirmed. So, yes....doubt all you want. Closeted...you bet your bottom dollar. I've no reason to share the details of my life with anyone.

During a visit to an emergency room, a nurse from my town poked her head in to say that she had noticed I was from the same town and thought she'd say hello. Then proceeded to ask about my HIV status and how I acquired it. So much for small talk...and then she ran her mouth around town. It happens here regularly.

My assertion is that we have lost the full attention of our case managers to paper forms and functions not related to our care. Many case managers wear too many hats to provide rudimentary help and yet a case manager is a requirement of any ASO here even to participate in non RW functions. Iit seems to be all or nothing.

These are the same organizations here that provide "prevention services" I believe that PLWHA would be better served by staff dedicated to helping positive folks, not worrying about how to get Johnny-oh-so-at-Risk to get tested (every three months) and following him to his next tryst to be sure he's got his latex on; nor should my life history be required just to get the name of a provider with HIV experience or to engage with other positive people.

Pimping an agenda? Yup...it's simple...fend for yourself as much as you can...what little help you receive may not be worth your interaction with an ASO. Only a vaccine will prevent HIV infections...If watching the suffering HIV has caused many of us won't do it...nothing will.

Excuse me for interjecting a macroeconomic point, but the kneejerk idea that jobs should be 'difficult' or require 'hard work' is counterproductive in a Keynesian sense - a point which is, I believe, very timely in our current depression/deflation.